


Of ink and flowers.

by Dream_Run



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Enemies to Lovers, Johnny is a Sweetheart, Kind of rushed, Light Angst, M/M, Non-Explicit Sex, Tattoo artist Jaehyun, doyoung and taeyong are the best, haechan is only mentionned a few times, it's only mentionned, jaehyun gives johnny his first tattoo, jaehyun is kind of an ass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:07:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29120199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dream_Run/pseuds/Dream_Run
Summary: It all started with loud music coming from the tattoo shop next door and it ended with a newly bought house.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 5
Kudos: 55





	Of ink and flowers.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello,  
> I am once again posting something short when I should be working on some of my bigger fics.  
> English is not my first language, and this is not beta-read, so I am really sorry for the mistakes, I'll come back later to edit it.

"What do you think you are doing?"

Jaehyun stops dead in his track, arm still in the air, ready to hang a frame on a wall. "I actually started to play tennis, do you want to join me?" he asks, without turning away from the wall. "Do not play dumb with me Jung Jaehyun, I refuse to have this horror on the wall of my bedroom!" Johnny exclaims, and this time, Jaehyun does put the frame down to look at the taller man. "We bought the house together, John, this is our wall, not yours." he mumbles.

"When you want to hang something as atrocious as this, it becomes my wall." Jaehyun heaves a sigh, burrying his hands in the pockets of his pants. "What are you talking about, this is not atrocious!" he says, looking clearly offended. "I refuse to have something this dark, with so much blood in my bedroom!" Johnny gives up pretty quickly when it comes to Jaehyun, but not today. "Well, this is way better than any of your flowery crap you want to put everywhere in this house." 

"My flowery crap?" Johnny scoffs, taking a step toward Jaehyun. "Pound one nail in this wall, and I swear to god, you are going to regret it." Of course, Jaehyun does what he does best, he smirks. "I'll pound you against the wall, maybe it'll get you to relax a little." he answers, and Johnny's cheeks take on a pink hue. Even though they've been together for quite a while now, he is still not used to Jaehyun's crude humor.

"Why did I even agree to this." Johnny says in a low voice as he gets out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. "Because you love me!" Jaehyun answers loudly enough to be heard by the oldest man. He knows he is probably rolling his eyes, cursing him and his entire existence, he probably regrets ever stepping foot inside his shop, but he knows he still loves him, no matter how much Jaehyun likes to push his buttons.

With how their relation started, Jaehyun never thought he would end up here, with Johnny, after buying their first home, and ready to move in in a couple of weeks. Because yes, their relation was bound to fail from the begining. And for many reasons.

~~~

"Excuse me, could you repeat?" Johnny asks, almost bent over the counter to hear what his customer is asking him. He thinks he heard him talk about orchids, but he is not sure, maybe he is asking for tulips. The customer looks uncomfortable, and Johnny can't even be mad when the young man shrugs. "Never mind, I'll come back later." he says before leaving Johnny's shop. "Oh my god, I hate him." 

He covers his ears with his hands, and for a second, he can no longer hear the music coming from the shop which opened last Monday. If only the music was good, he wouldn't mind how loud it is, but the music is not good. Well, it is not his taste. Ever since the new shop opened next to his, it's been hell. It became impossible for him to hear his customers because of the music, and sometimes the loud laugh that come through the walls. Paper thin walls, he thinks, and he feels like he is back at university, in a dorm room where even breathing was loud enough to be heard next door.

"Johnny, permission to strangle the guys next door?" 

Johnny is startled when he hears Doyoung's voice so close to his ear, he did not hear him come in. If Johnny is losing is patience, Doyoung is way closer to murder than he is. "I do not give you the permission, I need you here." he answers, and Doyoung pouts, of course he does, he is a little shit who likes to play with Johny's heartstrings. "If I end up deaf because you are a mean little guy who likes to torture me, I will hurt you." he wonders how Doyoung does to threaten him while looking like the most angelic being on earth.

"Stay here, I'm going to talk to these guys." Johnny says, and Doyoung nods, pushing him off of behind the counter. "You just want to get rid of me." he mumbles, and Doyoung shrugs even though Johnny has his back to him and cannot see it. "Good luck, if they kill you, I will make sure that your shop stays open. I'll change the name, but that's it." he rolls his eyes, leaving the store. He cannot even hear the little bell when the door closes behind him with the music. 

A few steps, and he is standing in front of the door.

"You can do it John, you are strong, you can do whatever you want." he whispers to himself, and he pushes the door. If the music is loud in his shop, it is even louder inside. How can anyone focus, he wonders, looking around. The walls are red, covered with polaroids, and art pieces that all look a little eery. He doesn't like the shiver that goes down his spine when he meets the eyes of a drawn creature on the wall. Ugh.

"Hello sweetheart, can I help you? You look a little lost." he hears someone say, and when he turns on his heels, his eyes fall on a man behind a black counter. He looks rather short, even on his chair, and his hair are blonde with neon green strikes all over. "Can I talk to the owner of this place?" he asks, and the young man frowns. "What for? Do you have an appointment?" he shakes his head. "I don't. I just need to talk to them for a minute." 

The young man stands up, and he can see the tattoos ardoring his arms, and his firm stomach thanks to the crop top he is wearing. It could be actually really cute, if he was not looking at Johnny like he had grown a second head. "I'll see what I can do. You can sit down if you want." the man's throat must hurt at the end of the day, with how much he has to scream to be heard over the terrible, terrible music.

When he opens one of the many doors, Johnny hears the buzzing of what must be a tattoo machine, but the buzzing stops as soon as it started. He cannot hear the conversation going on, but the young man comes out. "He is working right now, can he call you or something?" Johnny sighs. "I work next door, tell him to come and see me when he is done, please." with that, he walks back to the door. "Oh, and could you, for the love of god, lower the music?" 

"Sorry, I can't hear what you are saying." he answers, and Johnny has to restrain himself from sighin once more. He leaves the shop, and he takes a deep breath once he is outside, and it feels like he just spent hours in a suffocating place with little to no oxygen even though he's been inside for less than five minutes.

"So?" Doyoung asks as soon as he enters the shop, his nose flooded with the heavy smell of the flowers displayed around. It feels nice, and extremely comforting to be here. It is different from the smell of disinfectant from the tattoo shop. "The owner was busy, I couldn't talk to him." Doyoung nods, he figured, as the music seems to be even louder now. "Strangling him would've been way more efficient." 

"You should go home, Doyoung. With the music, the customers are not coming in, I can take care of everything on my own." Johnny says, an hour or so after coming back from the tattoo shop. Doyoung, half slumped over the counter nods. "I hate them, and if you do not see me come at work tomorrow, do not worry about me, I'm probably in jail or something." he mumbles, and Johnny laughs softly. He is really grateful to have Doyoung, especially in times like these. "I'll bring you oranges in jail." 

Doyoung kisses his cheek, and he growls. "I love you John." he rolls his eyes, watching the door from the back room closes behind him. "I'm still not giving you a bonus." he yells, and he hears him whine loudly.

Doyoung comes back to wish you a good end of the day, and he leaves. It is the first time since the shop opened that Johnny allowed him to leave early, so he is happy, and he shows it with big smiles behind the bay window. Johnny still has to stay for two or three more hours, and he already hates it. His job was so much easier before the opening of the tattoo shop, he loved being here, and now, all he wants is to come home and let himself be swallowed by his mattress.

No customers are coming in, and he really wonders if he should just clean the place quickly and close early. But just as he is thinking about locking the door, it opens on a man he's never seen before. And he also realizes that the music has stopped, he can finally hear his thoughts, and it feels amazing. "Hello." he says when his eyes meet the ones of the stranger. He is rather tall, wearing a black hoodie, and tight black jeans that let little to the imagination. As he walks toward the counter, he sees ink peeking below the collar of his hoodie.

"Ten said you wanted to see me?" Ten? Did he ever meet someone named Ten? He is not so sure, but then, he remembers. The little man from the tattoo shop, that's right. "You are the owner of the tattoo shop?" he asks, and the man nods before opening his mouth. "The name is Jaehyun." as seductive as his name sounds, Johnny could not care less about who he is. "I opened my shop three years ago, and until you moved next door, I never had any problems." he says, and Jaehyun raises an eyebrow. "Yeah, and?" 

"Your music, it is too loud, it is impossible for me to hear my customers, I'm losing money because of your music!" Johnny exclaims, maybe a bit too loud, but it's not his fault, he is practically sure that the music has damaged his eardrums. "That's why you came?" Johnny sighs. "Yes. I'm not asking you to stop playing music, no, but if you could lower the volume, that would be really nice." 

Jaehyun seems to think about it, and for a second, Johnny thinks he won. He already thinks about the next day, in his beloved shop, without music to bother him. "Yeah, I don't think I can help you with that." he opens his eyes wide at the answer, he should have let Doyoung strangle him when he was still here. "What? This is your shop, your music, I'm pretty sure you know how to lower the volume." 

"Of course I do, but I do not want to." so Ten is not the only little shit working at the shop, that's good to know. "If you want some peace, why don't you find another shop? I'm pretty sure the bookstore is closing down the street, you could call and get yourself a brand new place?" Johnny shakes his head in disbelief, that is not how he thought the conversation would go. "And if you do, please tell me, I really want to expand my shop, and this place is the perfect size to do so." 

"Are you kidding me? I was here first, I should be the one telling you to find another place!" Johnny says, offended and Jaehyun has the audacity to laugh. And of course, his laugh has the audacity to sounds like music to Johnny's ear. "Why would I leave? I have no problems with you, or with the shop on the other side of mine." and he smirks, because he is that kind of asshole. "Maybe we can find an arrangement?" he asks, voice honey-like as he takes a step towards Johnny.

"What kind of arrangement?" Johnny asks, tilting his head to the side. "I don't know, maybe we could find one over a drink?" why is he not surprised about this proposition? He does not know Jaehyun, and yet, he is so predictable. "What is wrong with you? I am not doing anything that includes alcohol, and you!" Jaehyun shrugs as he turns on his heels. "I guess you'll have to endure the music then. When you are ready to have a drink and a real conversation, come see me, and I promise I'll stop with the music." 

And with that, he is gone.

~~~

"Kim Doyoung, we need to talk." Johnny says as soon as Doyoung enters the shop. For the first time in weeks, the flower shop is quiet, only because it is too early for the shop next door to be open. Doyoung stops dead in his track, and he looks at Johnny, head tilted to the side and Johnny sees how tired Doyoung looks. "But first, you have to tell me why you look like you have not slept in days." Doyoung shrugs his shoulders, and takes off his jacket.

"That's maybe because I did not sleep last night." he answers in a hoarse voice. "Why? Are you sick?" Johnny knows why he is like that, but he needs him to tell him, he needs to hear it from what was supposed to be his best friend. "No, I'm not sick. I had a friend over." he nods. "Let me guess! This friend in question has tattoos, pink hair, glitter all over his clothes, and responds to the name of Taeyong?" 

Doyoung blushes furiously and Johnny knows he was right. "How do you know?" he asks sheepishly. "If you didn't want me to know that you were fraternizing with the enemy, you should make sure I'm no longer in the shop when you walk past, hand in hand with a tattoo artist next door." Doyoung lowers his head, playing with the hem of his white shirt, and to prove Johnny's point a little more, he can see glitter in Doyoung's hair. "True friends stab you in the back." 

Doyoung laughs softly, but he bites the inside of his cheek to muffle the sound. "You are quoting Jaehyun's favorite song, and you talk about fraternizing with the enemy?" Johnny steps out of behind the counter, arms crossed against his chest. "How do you know it's his favorite song?" the more Doyoung talks, the deeper he digs his own grave. "I may or may not have had a conversation with him last night at the shop before you saw me and Taeyong." 

Johnny sighs, he is not mad per se, he is just sad that Doyoung didn't find it useful to talk to him about it. "Alright." he says, before going in the back room to get the flowers that were delievered earlier this morning. Doyoung is not used to see Johnny giving up on a conversation that easily before. Johnny is back to him when he pushes open the door. "Are you mad at me?" he asks in a small voice, and Johnny shrugs. "I'm not mad at you, Doyoung, why would I be? But I thought you would tell me about Taeyong, and not wait for me to find out one night." 

"I know you and Jaehyun don't get along, so I didn't want you to think I am betraying you or anything." Johnny chuckles as he takes a step towards Doyoung. "I don't care about Jaehyun, or his stupid shop, I only care about you, and your happiness. Does Taeyong make you happy?" he asks, and Doyoung nods with vigor. "Then that's enough for me. But you still need to officially introduce him to me, as your one and only friend, I have a couple of questions for him." 

"You are not my only friend, what are you talking about!" that's the thing about Doyoung and Johnny, they are each other's only friend, and that was already the case back in high school and university, but they like to pretend it's not the case. "I received pink peonies, you should take a few and make a bouquet for your boyfriend, I'm pretty sure he likes pink." Doyoung winces at his words. "You are so romantic, it's disgusting. But I will, thank you!" 

Weirdly enough, he didn't hear any music today. He had actual conversations with his customers, and for the first time in what feels like forever, he does not close the store with a pounding headache, but with a peaceful mind, and a smile on his face. Maybe Doyoung going on dates with Taeyong is actually a good idea, at least for his eardrums. He is taking off his apron when he hears the door bell rings into the now empty store. "We are closed." he says.

"It's me, John." Doyoung answers, and Johnny smiles. But his smile fades when his eyes land on Jaehyun. Yes, first, his retina was assaulted by how bright Taeyong's hoodie is, but it is not as bad as the sight of Jung Jaehyun, the owner of "Cry baby tattoo shop." His day was absolutely perfect, but karma decided otherwise. He should never celebrate too soon, at least now he knows.

"I wanted to officially introduce you to Taeyong, and Jaehyun wanted to apologize, so he came along." Taeyong takes a step forwards, smiling brightly and for a second, Johnny melts. He looks absolutely adorable with his big doe eyes and the pink dusting his cheeks. "It's really nice to meet you Johnny, Doyoung talks a lot about you." he looks at Doyoung, narrowing his eyes. "I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing." he says, but Taeyong shakes his head. "But it's nice to meet you too Taeyong, you better make him happy because I know a lot about poisonous flowers." 

Taeyong looks frightened for a second, but Doyoung takes his hand. "He does know a lot about them, but don't worry, he is a sweetheart, he would never hurt a fly." Johnny doesn't like the fact that he is breaking his fake persona right away, come on, maybe he could've actually scared him enough for Taeyong to know not to mess up with Doyoung. "You are an asshole Doyoung." he mutters, and the younger man laughs. "Oh, he cursed! That's bad." that's official, he hates him.

"Jaehyun, didn't you have something to say to Johnny?" Taeyong asks, turning to his friend who heaves a long sigh. Suddenly, Johnny is not sure Jaehyun is here of his own free will. "No, I don't." he answers, and Taeyong frowns. "Jung Jaehyun, you better apologize for being an asshole to Johnny right now, or I swear to god, I'm going to teach you how to properly deepthroat using one of these vases." Doyoung and Johnny share a look, and he bites his lips when Jaehyun's ears turn red.

"I am really sorry, Johnny, I should not have played the music so loud and refused when you nicely asked for me to turn it down." Jaehyun says in a low voice, refusing to look at Johnny in the eyes. "It's alright, I just hope we can move on from now on." Jaehyun nods, and finally, he looks at him. "Yes." that's all he says, and Taeyong claps, smiling. "Perfect! You were about to leave, right?" Johnny nods. "Doyoung, Jaehyun and I were going to order food and eat it at my place, would you like to join us?" 

Johnny wants to go home, he wants to take a warm shower, and watches something on tv until he falls asleep on the sofa, but the way Doyoung is looking at him makes him understand that he does not really have a choice. "Sure, I'd love that." he answers, and Taeyong is beaming. "Let me get my stuff." 

He goes into the back room, and he takes his jacket and bag. Doyoung joins him. "Thank you for joining, John, I'm sure you'll have a good time." he says, and he picks up a bouquet he made earlier. A bouquet of pink peonies. "I guess I'm not the only romantic in this room. That's disgusting." he says, and Doyoung flips him off before leaving, Johnny following him closely.

"This is for you." Doyoung says, a little shy, when he hands the bouquet to Taeyong who opens his eyes wide. Jaehyun and Johnny look at each other, and even though they do not know a thing about the other, they do think the same thing. Cheesy. Disgusting. Deep down, as a hopeless romantic, Johnny is quite jealous, but he doesn't show it, why would he? "Thank you so much Doie, it's beautiful." Taeyong kisses Doyoung, and Johnny has to refrain from gagging. 

"Some people are single and very unhappy." Jaehyun says, and Taeyong giggles against Doyoung's lips. "Find someone, and you won't be so single and unhappy anymore." Johnny wonders if anyone could actually support being in Jaehyun's presence for more than a minute. "Yeah, whatever. I'm hungry, let's go." 

Johnny locks the door behind him, and he follows the men, hands buried in the pockets of his jacket. The cold wind brushes against his cheeks, but it feels nice, really nice. Jaehyun walks alongside him, quiet and looking bored. "I know Taeyong forced you to apologize, but thank you, even though you don't think a word of what you said. It would've hurt to have to close my store." 

"Close your store?" Jaehyun asks, looking at Johnny through his blonde bangs. "My shop is small, and people usually prefer to go buy their flowers in big chain stores because they know what to expect. So because of the music, customers stopped coming and with the bills pilling up, I really thought I would have to give up on my dream." he shrugs, he doesn't know why he is saying that to Jaehyun when even Doyoung is not aware of anything. "I mean, it's still not the best situation money wise, but I hope it'll get better in the weeks to come." 

It is dark outside, which means Johnny can't see that Jaehyun is actually feeling bad about his behavior. Yes, he wanted to mess with Johnny, but he didn't want him to lose customers, to lose money and his store at the same time. "I'm really sorry." he says, and Johnny sighs. "It's okay, no need to take pity on me, I'll get back on my feet, I always do." 

"Welcome to my place!" 

Taeyong's apartment complex is in the city center, in a place Johnny could never even dream of living. He really did not know a tattoo artist could earn enough money to afford a place like this, he thinks, looking around. Everything is clean, and in order. Frames are on the walls, some of artwork, some are just photos of him growing up. He notices that Jaehyun are on most of the photos. "We've been friends since we were kids." he says when he sees Johnny looking at the photo, and the man nods. "That's cool." 

"Do you live alone?" he asks, it is simple curiosity, nothing more. "Ten lives here, but he is staying at his boyfriend's place tonight." yes, Ten, the guy behind the counter, he remembers. "What would you guys like to eat?" Taeyong is sitting on the kitchen island, Doyoung is in between his thighs, the edge of the island digging into his back as he looks at his phone, probably on some food delivery app. "Whatever you want, I eat everything." Johnny answers, taking a seat on the armchair.

"Pizza?" both him and Jaehyun nod, and Doyoung orders the food. Taeyong and Jaehyun share a love for tattoos, and Doyoung went there enough time to be able to participate in the conversation, but Johnny does not know a lot about tattoos, he doesn't have one, and he doesn't think he'll ever get one, so he stays quiet, watching them. Doyoung smiles so big that his jaw must be aching by now. It's been a while since he's seen him this happy, and that's enough to make him happy.

"Do you have tattoos, Johnny?" Jaehyun asks, and he tries not to look surprise when the boy asks him a question without being asked to. "No, I don't." he pouts slightly, and maybe he only notices it now, or maybe he never wanted to actually aknowledge it, but he is handsome. Dark brown eyes, flawless skin, and dimples deep enough to make anyone melt on the spot. His hair is freshly bleached, and the blonde suits him quite well. "Do you want a tattoo?" he opens his mouth, but Doyoung answers for him.

"When we were in university, he wanted to get a sunflower on his arm, but he never actually did it." he says, and he rolls his eyes. It's been a while since he thought about this tattoo. He remembers that one night when he was standing in front of a tattoo shop, drunk, and ready to get it done, but he chickened out. "A sunflower? That's adorable!" Taeyong cooes. 

"I have a younger brother, and he is the embodiment of the sun, so I wanted a sunflower to have a piece of him with me at all time." he smiles softly when he mentions Donghyuck, and the men don't miss it as they are smiling too when he looks up. "Did I say something wrong?" Doyoung shakes his head, he likes when Johnny lets go off the shell he created for himself over the years. "You should stop by the shop one day, I could tattoo you." before Johnny can say anything, Jaehyun adds. "For free, as an apology gift, if you will." 

Johnny was not expecting such a proposition from Jaehyun, but he nods anyway. "I'll think about it, thank you Jaehyun." 

~~~

"Breathe, everything will be fine!" 

Johnny scoffs, nervously playing with the hem of his hoodie. Doyoung is sitting next to him, and he feels tense, not because he is, but because Johnny is, and he is like a sponge, taking on people's emotions and bevabior. "It's easy for you to say, you are not the one who is going to suffer for hours." he mumbles, and Doyoung laughs softly. "Come on, don't be so dramatic John. Jaehyun said it would take less than three hours, it's not so bad!" 

When he woke up this morning, Johnny was excited at the idea of getting his first tattoo, for free at that, but now, sitting in the tattoo shop's waiting room, he feels less confident. What if he doesn't like the tattoo, what if he gets bored of it after a while, what if the tattoo gets infected? So many possibilities, but unfortunately, he doesn't have more time to think about it, as he hears the sounds of footstep coming their way. "I'm ready for you John, you can come." 

"I saw the stencil, and it looks so beautiful! I'm kind of jealous." Taeyong says before dropping onto Doyoung's lap. "Jaehyun doesn't usually tattoo this kind of stuff, but he went out of his way for you, and you are not going to be disappointed, trust me!" he nods even though he cannot hear anything more than the buzzing in his ears. He gets up, and with one last look to Doyoung who gives him a thumb up, he follows Jaehyun into his room.

The walls are black, and like in the main room of the shop, they are covered with artworks and photos. "You can sit." Jaehyun shows him the chair, and he sits. He tries to get comfortable, but he just doesn't feel it, he should not be here. He should be in his store, cleaning or putting the flowers away. "Relax John, everything is going to be fine, I'm really soft, I promise." Johnny nods, not sure if he can believe him. "Do you want to see what I drew?" before he can answer, Jaehyun shows him the drawing, and his breathing hitches in his throat.

"Wow." Johnny knows Jaehyun mostly tattoo in black and white, with an horror touch to his portraits, but this time, the sunflower is delicate and really pretty. "Do you like it? And I'll add colors and shading too, it's just the design." he knows that if Donghyuck was here, he would be jumping with excitation for his brother, he would also be really proud at the idea of being on his older brother's body for ever. "I love it, that's amazing Jae." 

The tattoo artist smiles softly, and he asks Johnny to show him where he wants the tattoo to shave the area, and apply the stencil. "Alright, go see on the miror if the placement is alright for you. We can move it as much as you want." he gets up, and he walks to the miror. The tattoo is not as big as some of Jaehyun's pieces, but it suits his arm pretty nicely, and the colors on his tan skin are going to look really nice. "It's perfect." 

"Yeah? Sit back down then, and let's get to work." he obeys, trying to get comfortable on the chair. "So, because it's your first tattoo, I have to tell you a few things. This area is painful, but it is not that bad, think of it as a cat scratching you. If you feel hot, sleepy, or like you are going to faint, tell me. If you want to take a break, tell me and we'll take five minutes to breathe, it's no big deal, I don't have any customers other than you today, so we have all the time, alright?" 

Johnny nods, and Jaehyun smiles. When he smiles, he sees the pretty dimples he would like to poke if given the chance, and his eyes slide down as he puts on his black glove. "Try to move as little as possible." the tattoo artist says, disinfecting Johnny's arm. He bites his lower lip at the first passage of the needles, but it is not that bad. "Your skin is still cold, so it'll need to warm up for the pain to lower a bit." he nods, closing his eyes.

The first hour goes pretty fast.

Sometimes, Johnny opens his eyes to look at Jaehyun. He is focused on what he is doing, and honestly, he looks even more handsome like that, doing something he likes. Sometimes, he tongue peeks up like a kid trying to color inside the lines and it is really adorable. Jaehyun is not so much of a jerk when he is tattooing, this is great news for Johnny. He smiles from time to time, when he is happy with the line he just tattooed. And sometimes, when Johnny is not looking, he watches him for a brief second, wondering what he did to deserve to have an angel on his chair.

"I'm going to start with the colors, do you want to take a break?" Jaehyun asks, startling Johnny at the same time. "If you need one, you can take one, but I'm fine." his answer makes Jaehyun smile. "Are you really? That's great, we can keep going then." Jaehyun is used of tattooing for hours on end without breaks, so it is not a small tattoo like this one that will tire him out.

Once again, Johnny closes his eyes, and he winces a couple of times but without never opening his mouth. Yes, Jaehyun is really sweet for offering him a tattoo, but he still does not want to give him the satisfaction to see him in pain.

"Alright, this part is going to hurt like a bitch, but after that, we'll be done." at that, Johnny sits up when Jaehyun turns around to change his machine. His eyes stop on the white ink cup, and he frowns. "The white hurts more than any other color?" he asks, genuinly curious about his answer. "The white ink is used to give highlights to a tattoo, and we do it at the end when the skin is really sensitive, and because we need to pass on the skin a few times for the white to be well saturated, it hurts. Like, a lot." 

"Alright, give me everything." Johnny says, and the tattoo artist giggles before dipping the needles in the white ink. At the first pass, it is okay, but as Jaehyun keeps going, Johnny has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from making any kind of noise. "Oh fuck!" he whispers, and Jaehyun looks up when the needles are far enough from his skin. "You cursed, which means it's really bad." he hates Doyoung for telling Jaehyun how much Johnny does not like to curse except when needed.

"And we are done! Come on, take a deep breath." Jaehyun puts down the tattoo machine, and he wipes the tattoo, and even the feeling of the paper towel on his skin is awful. "I hate you." he mutters, and Jaehyun is used to hearing that so he smiles brightly. "I'm sure you do. Go see the tattoo, then I'll put a bandage on it." when Johnny tries to get up, Jaehyun stops him. "Slowly, you might feel dizzy and I'm not sure I'm strong enough to catch you." 

"Yes sir." 

Johnny takes his time getting up, and when he stands in front of the mirror, he takes a deep breath. For some reason, he feels nervous. He knows Jaehyun is a really good tattoo artist, even though he is not used to tattoo this kind of design, but still. Maybe he wants the tattoo to be perfect, to please Donghyuck. He looks down at his arm, and he opens his mouth in awe. "Oh my god Jaehyun." he says in a low voice.

"Do you like it?" Jaehyun is probably as nervous as Johnny, because he really wants the older man to like it, he doesn't want to ruin his life a second time. "I absolutely love it, thank you so much Jae." his voice is soft, soft enough to warm Jaehyun's heart. "I'm glad to hear that. Come, and I'll let you go." 

Johnny sits back down on the chair, and he looks at Jaehyun while he cleans the tattoo one more time before applying a bandage. "Let me clean the room, and I'm joining you to explain the aftercare, alright?" he nods, and he goes out of the room. He shivers slightly at the temperature difference between Jaehyun's booth, and the entrance of the shop. Doyoung and Taeyong are still there, he notices.

Taeyong is on the ground, drawing on a coffee table. Doyoung is on the ground too, his chest against Taeyong's back, and if it was not for his soft giggle, he would've thought he was asleep on Taeyong. "Hey guys." he speaks softly so as not to scare them, and they both turn their heads towards him. "Hey Johnny boy, how was it? Can I see?" Taeyong gets up, shoving Doyoung away without any remorse. "Did it hurt?" Doyoung asks, rubbing his elbow.

"The colors hurt a bit, but it's nothing bad compared to the white ink." Taeyong laughs, because he knows, and he opens his eyes big when he sees the tattoo. "That's gorgeous! Jaehyun did an amazing job, despite never using colors in his pieces." Doyoung takes a look too, a smile brighting his face. "Hyuck is going to absolutely love it. He is going to brag about the tattoo to all of his friends for weeks, trust me." well, he sure hopes so.

"Here is the tattoo artist of the day!" Taeyong exclaims when he sees Jaehyun, and the boy's cheeks take on a soft pink shade. "You did an amazing job, Jae." Doyoung adds, and the boy smiles. "I did my best for Johnny, and for his brother." Johnny's heart is definitely not supposed to do that, but it's alright, he pushes the feeling back. "So, John, you'll take the bandage off in a couple of hours, then you wash it with lukewarm water and pf-neutral soap."

He goes behind the counter, and he takes a jar of cream. "And then, you apply this healing cream two to three times a day, in a very thin layer for a few weeks, and then you should be good to go. Don't hesitate to stop by if you feel like you need to touch-up, I'll do them once it's completely healed." Johnny nods, taking the cream. "Thanks again man." 

"It's not that I don't like you guys, but I have stuff to do, so I should probably go." Johnny says, and for a second, he is pretty sure Jaehyun's smile fade. "See you tomorrow Johnny boy!" Doyoung says, and he bids them goodbye before taking his jacket and leaving the shop. Before he can make it far enough, he hears his name being called.

"Jae? Did I forget something?" he asks, frowning, but the young man shakes his head. "No, no. I wanted to ask you if you maybe wanted to grab a drink, or a bite to eat with me someday?" Jaehyun looks fidgety, moving from one feet to the other. "Like a date?" Johnny asks and he thinks Jaehyun is going to shy away, but no, he holds his gaze. "Yes, like a date."

~~~

"Why are you laughing at me?" Johnny whines, looking at Taeyong through the mirror. The smaller man is slumped on his bed, and even though he is trying to hide his smile and muffle his laugh with his hands, Johnny can hear him. "I am not!" he answers, and Johnny turns around. "You are! I'm starting to regret calling you over, I should've called Doyoung, at least, with him, I would be done by now." he mumbles and Taeyong gets up from the bed, stretching his arms. 

"Doyoung does not know shit about fashion, I do, that's why you called me instead of him." he says in a sweet voice, and Johnny hates how right he is. "Wearing pink and glitter is not fashion, Yong." he shrugs his shoulders, looking around Johnny's dresser again. "Fashion is whatever you want it to be, so wearing pink and glitter is fashion, because I said so." Johnny sits on the edge of the bed, threading his fingers through his freshly bleached hair. 

"I should call him and cancel." before he even has time to think about getting his phone, Taeyong is shaking his head, crouching down in front of him. "You can't cancel. Because if you do, you'll have to live with the guilt every time you'll see Jaehyun's puppy eyes, and trust me, he knows how to guilt-trip you, I've been there before." 

"Why would he even ask me on a date uh? It's not like he likes me or anything, he is just trying to feel better for almost making me lose my job and all of my money, but like, I don't need any of that." he mutters, and Taeyong sighs deeply. "Jaehyun told me about the lack of customers because of the music, and he truly is sorry, but he is not the kind to take someone on a date just to ease his mind, trust me." 

"Are you sure of that? Because I don't want to lose my time if he just doing that as charity work." Taeyong shakes his head, putting his hand on Johnny's shoulder. "I am sure, John, and he if says or does something that shows that I was wrong, I promise to beat his ass for you, and to make him regret everything." he chuckles, and he nods. "Alright, I trust you." 

Twenty minutes later, Johnny comes out of his room wearing a white shirt tucked in black pair of jeans. This is a simple outfit, and it should not have taken over an hour to find it, but it is something he feels comfortable in, and to be honest, he looks extremely handsome like that. 

"Would you like at that!" Taeyong wolf-whistles, and Johnny's cheeks flush softly. "If I was not with Doyoung, I would have told you to dump Jaehyun and go out with me." he says, and Johnny rolls his eyes. He is really grateful to have Taeyong with him, because he shows a little more empathy than Doyoung in this kind of situation. "You are pretty cute yourself, I would've said yes." he answers, much to Taeyong's delight.

"Alright, so do I look okay? Do I look good enough to be seen with Jaehyun?" Johnny is tall, he has muscles, he is very handsome with plush lips and bright eyes, and yet, he lacks confidence, even more when he is supposed to go on a date with someone like Jaehyun. "You look too good to be seen with this idiot. He should be the one making sure he looks decent enough for you." Johnny really feels like telling Taeyong that he loves him right now, but he knows Doyoung would not really like that.

He jumps when his phone rings, and swallows hardly when he sees Jaehyun's picture on the screen. "He is here." he says, already breathless. "Go! Have an amazing date, I'm sure it'll be great." before chickening out, he grabs his jacket, and walks to the front door. "Remember to use protection!" Taeyong yells through the apartment, and he regrets ever calling him. "Shut ut." 

When he opens the door to the apartment complex where he's been living for the past couple of years, he sees Jaehyun's car parked right in front of him. Jaehyun is inside, bopping his head to the music he is listening and when he opens the door, he yelps. "Oh my god John!" he says, a hand on his heart. "You scared me." 

Johnny takes the time to look at Jaehyun, with his blond hair falling over his glasses, the tattoos on his bare arms, and the way his adam apple bobs when he looks at Johnny. "Sorry." he is not really sorry. He sits down, and puts on the seat-belt before turning to Jaehyun. "So, where are you taking me?" 

"One of my friends has a restaurant in town, and I got us a table." Johnny was expecting Jaehyun to drive him to some raunchy bar to drink cheap beers until they were wasted enough to think properly, but no. "Oh, that's nice." is all he says, and he feels dumb.

Yes, it's been a while since Johnny has been on a date, and because of that, he forgot how to properly act. But why? It's just Jaehyun, the good old tattoo artist who likes to make his life a living hell by being insuferable and crazily handsome. "Do you maybe want to go somewhere else?" he asks in a low voice as he drives away from the apartment. Johnny looks up at his balcony, and he is barely surprised to see Taeyong. He is leaning over the railing, a big smile on his face, waving at him. "Little shit." he mutters.

"I didn't do nothing!" Jaehyun whines, and Johnny throws his head back, laughing heartily. "I was not talking to you, Jae, but to Taeyong. Looking at me from my balcony like a creep!" Jaehyun seems to relax, but then, he frowns. "What is Taeyong doing in your apartment? I thought you and Doyoung didn't live together?" 

"I was nervous for tonight, so I called Taeyong. He helped me pick an outfit, and he also convinced me not to cancel." he admits, and Jaehyun nods. "That's why he didn't answer when I called him. I was going to ask him to come over." so Taeyong is both their emotional support glittery friend, that's good to know. "So we are both nervous, good good." 

After that, the silence settles in the car. The music plays softly in the background, and for once, this is not anything deafening, it's actually really nice. Jaehyun hums to the songs, and sometimes, Johnny joins him, at least until he parks in the restaurant's parking lot.

"Oh!" Johnny opens his mouth, and Jaehyun looks at him. "I've heard a lot about this restaurant, but I heard it's also really difficult to get a table." Jaehyun shrugs. "Told you, it's my friend's restaurant." 

They both get out of the car, and enter the restaurant. The lights are dimmed, and the conversations around are soft, almost quiet above the sound of the cutlery and food being eaten. "Hi Renjun! I have a reservation." Jaehyun says at the young receptionist whose smile is the most adorable thing Johnny has ever seen. "Renjun? Aren't you one of Donghyuck's friends?" Johnny blurts out before even thinking, and the young boy nods. "You know him?" 

"It's my brother." the boy's eyes light up, but he doesn't answer, he just leads them to the table. Taeil, the owner, is really sweet and understanding, but he doubts that he would be if he saw him talking with a customer instead of doing his work in the middle of the evening rush.

Jaehyun, ever so the gentleman, pulls Johnny's chair and he smiles before sitting, Jaehyun in front of him. "Thank you." Renjun gives them the menue, and before they can as much as look at him, he is gone. "Talking about your brother, did he like the tattoo?" Jaehyun asks, looking at him above the menue. "He loved it. He posted the picture everywhere. He bragged, just like Doyoung said he would." Jaehyun looks proud of himself, as he should.

~~~

The evening at the restaurant was quite nice, Johnny thinks. Well, that's what he remembers, because after eating something way too expensive for his taste, they went to a bar to have a drink, to celebrate their new friendship. 

Friendship...

That is not how friends should end up, Johnny admits, as he turns on his side, his face against Jaehyun's chest. He is very much naked, just like him. He should not be surprised, because Jaehyun did say it was a date, and he did what he could to flirt with him until Johnny couldn't take it anymore and kissed him square on the lips, shutting him up long enough to forget everything about the world around them. 

He remembers more about what happened once they entered the taxi, way too intoxicated to drive. He remembers the look on the driver's face when he decided to look at them through the rearview mirror, he remembers that at that time, his tongue was deep down Jaehyun's throat. He remembers tumbling into the elevator, Jaehyun never taking his hands off of his hips. He remembers the whine that came out of his mouth when Jaehyun parted to unlock the door. 

Yes, that part was embarrassing.

He remembers all of the praises he whispered in his ears as he was pounding into him with vigor, he remembers all of the marks he let on his throat, collarbones, tummie and inner thighs. Yes, he remembers everything that happened in this room. And he does not regret anything. Not when Jaehyun's arm sneak around him to bring him closer if it is even possible.

When he moves his legs, he feels bad for not listening to Taeyong, because his thighs are definitely sticky with dried cum, but that's a problem for future Johnny. Which is probably what he said before falling asleep early this morning. He flutters his eyelids when Jaehyun presses a kiss on his forehead, barely awake. "Good morning." he whispers, not expecing any response from the younger man, but he smiles, sign that he is up, at least enough to understand what is going on around him.

"More sleep." Jaehyun answers, voice deep with sleep, and Johnny nods. What is he supposed to do? Say no? Never.

When he wakes up a second time, he feels the rays of sunshine warming the bare skin of his legs, and he stretches. The other side of the bed is empty, and he pouts when he tries to reach for Jaehyun only to find cold sheets. He cannot be gone, he thinks, because he is in his apartment. He is probably around, regretting his life decisions, or thinking of a way to get rid of him.

Yes, even after spending the night with Jaehyun, he still thinks the man is playing with him to ease his mind.

"Your thoughts are really loud." 

He opens his eyes when he hears Jaehyun's voice. The young man is standing in the doorway of the ensuite bathroom, drying his hair with a white towel. "They are not." he mumbles, bringing the comforter over his head. "How are you feeling?" he asks, and Johnny feels the mattress dips under Jaehyun's weight. "Alright. Sore. Cold." he answers and Jaehyun laughs softly. "Am I the reason you are cold?" 

Johnny takes off the comforter, and he nods, his lower lip jutting out. "Yes. You left me alone, in a cold bed, so yes, it is your fault. Now you better take responsability." Jaehyun drops his wet towel to the ground and he gets back in bed. Except for the towel hanging low on his hips, he is naked, and when he gets close to Johnny, the man can see the way the drops of water are running down his skin. Yes, even without him touching him, he feels hot. Hot and bothered.

But he doesn't do anything about it, he lets Jaehyun bring him to his chest, and when he threads his fingers through his hair, Johnny closes his eyes, breathing softly. When he first met Jaehyun, he never thought he would end up in bed with him, cuddling. But he is not mad about it, because even though their relationship started really badly, he is glad to be here today.

"What do you think about a second date?" Johnny asks, and Jaehyun smiles.

~~~

That brings us here, in the house newly bought by the couple. And unexpected couple, that's for sure. Doyoung didn't believe Johnny, his own best friend, when he told him he was officially dating Jaehyun, and it was even worse when he told him they were moving in together. 

No matter what they do together, what milestone they cross together as a couple, Doyoung still doubts their relationship. And if has every right, because they are always bickering about every little things, they act like enemies more time than not, but despite everything, Johnny is so madly in love with Jaehyun.

But today, after the little arguing in the bedroom about the artwork on the wall, he decides he does not want to give in. Johnny is sweet, he is kind, and he likes to make people happy, but not today, he refuses to have something as dark on the wall of the bedroom where he sleeps because he knows for a fact that it will give him nightmares.

It doesn't take look for Jaehyun to join him in the living room. Well, in the room that will become the living room once their new couch will be delievered, which should by in a couple of days. He is on the ground, looking at his phone, trying to ignore Jaehyun when he sits next to him, dropping his head on his shoulder. 

"I'm sorry baby." he whispers, kissing his cheek. He pouts when Johnny doesn't answer, or look at him. If there is something Jaehyun hates, is being ignored by Johnny. He likes being the center of his attention. "Answer me." he whines, and Johnny's lips curl into a smile. "I'll answer if you promise to hang your artworks in your office, not in our bedroom." 

Jaehyun sighs. "I promise." 

Johnny smiles, and he turns his head to kiss his lips. "Good. I love you." Jaehyun's giggle makes Johnny's heart bursts. "I love you too Johnny, so much." 

**Author's Note:**

> I absolutely love the flower shop x tattoo parlor.  
> This is also pretty rushed, but all of my fics are.


End file.
